The Swing of Things
by gypsywriter135
Summary: Getting back into the swing of things can be difficult if you're gone for almost two years.


So, this story has been bugging me for a while now, so I just decided to write it and see what happens. I'm actually quite proud of it, and I think I'll write a sequel to it, but not right away. I have to finish "Four Letters" and another story I'm writing first, as well as school work, but this idea just kept nagging me to write it, so I just gave in and here's the outcome! Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Leo and Mikey are not mine, but one day, Leo will be!

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

Mikey watched as Leo silently edged into the dojo, the tails of his blue bandanas flailing swiftly after him. The younger turtle shook his head slightly as he returned to the program he and his other brothers were currently watching, not really paying attention anymore. He was lost in his own thoughts.

Ever since Leo had gotten back from Central America, he had been avoiding his family. Like, not outright ignoring them; it was more as if he just wouldn't get involved. He was more caught up in his own world, it was like nothing else existed. But Mikey didn't think he was doing it on purpose. It was more of like he just wasn't sure how to approach his family.

_I guess spending almost 2 years in a jungle by yourself would do that to anyone…_ Mikey thought.

Sure, for the first few days Leo had been involved in everything. Of course, that also meant that he had to be leader again, especially with the whole monster business. But after the Winters Affair, Leo had become more closed off, very unlike the brother that he was before he had left to go train. Mikey wasn't so sure he liked this new version of their older brother.

Mikey didn't know if Raph and Don had noticed it, but he was sure that they suspected something. After all, Leo was rarely seen all day, except at meal times. Other than that, he was almost always in the dojo or out on training runs, which had also caught Mikey's attention.

Before he had left, Leo had a very strict policy that none of them were allowed to go topside alone. They always had to use the "buddy system", something which Raphael had been adamant about breaking. But still, even when Leo had gone out, he always took one of his younger brothers. Whether it was to drag Don out of his lab, Mikey away from his video games, or, sometimes-if they were getting along- Raph.

But now… Leo would randomly go topside, and not just for a small amount of time. One day, he was gone practically the entire day; nearly scared Mikey half to death. Even Raph was getting nervous about it by the end of the day. But by the time evening practice was supposed to begin, Leo was in the dojo, just finishing warming up.

Leo was different, and Mikey was positive that he didn't like it.

He had almost asked Leo about it one day, but he had gotten cold feet. Leo was different, and he wasn't sure how a questioning would go down. So he had chickened out.

A sigh from Don pulled Mikey from his thoughts. Looking at his immediate older brother, he saw that the purple-banded turtle was shaking his head, his eyes looking at the door to the dojo. Sounds of metal swishing through air were audible.

"He's been acting weird ever since the Winters incident," Raph said, voicing everyone thoughts.

"Dude, I thought I was the only one who noticed," Mikey piped up.

"No, we've all noticed, Mikey," Don replied, looking him. "It's just not like him to do these things. I mean, yeah, he's done them a few times before, but it's never been this bad. He never comes out of there!"

Raph nodded. "I feel like we should day something, but I don't know what to say without getting him mad."

A thought just suddenly occurred to Mikey.

"If he doesn't remember how to include himself…" he said, making his brothers look at him. "…Then maybe we need to remind him how…" A smile appeared on his face.

Raph and Don looked at him, then at each other, and back at Mikey, smiles forming on their faces as well.

Mikey knew that look; it was a look that he normally wore when he was planning something.

"Let's do this!"

TMNT

It took a while, but after a few days of planning, they three turtles were ready to put their plan into action. They just had to find the right moment to confront Leo.

Mikey was currently on lookout duty. Leo had told them three hours ago that he was going for a run, and Mikey was sitting-or attempting to, with his short attention span- still a little ways from the entrance to their lair. Raph and Don were inside, finishing setting up and getting ready for business.

Sighing, Mikey began fiddling with his nun chucks. He brought one out and starting twirling it, listening to the hissing noise it made. He had been waiting for half an hour, and he was getting bored.

"Boo!"

Mikey jumped and let out a startled yelp, making his "chuck" fly in front of him. He snapped around, his hand going to the other one on his belt.

Leonardo was standing there, an amused smile on his face.

"Holy shell, Leo!" Mikey cried, visibly relaxing. "What the shell?"

Leo chuckled. "Just thought it looked like a great opportunity."

Muttering obscenities about older brothers, Mikey went to retrieve his weapon. When he turned around, Leo was still standing there, watching him. Mikey felt a little nervous all of a sudden, so he started the conversation.

"So, uh… how was your run?"

"Fine," Leo replied, still watching Mikey. He didn't elaborate.

"Just fine?" Mikey prodded.

Leo nodded silently.

"Where did you go running at?"

Leo shrugged. "Everywhere."

Mikey nodded. He glanced at his shell cell, checking the time. He still had a little while before Raph and Don would be done with the Lair.

"What're you doing down here anyways?" Leo asked.

Mikey sucked in a deep breath. He hadn't thought that Leo would ask that question; he didn't have a good lie to tell him.

_Stupid! I should've known Leo would have realized that!!!!!_

"Uh… I was gonna come out and look for you?" Mikey tried.

"Uh huh. You looked so ready for a search around the city by standing here and playing with your weapons," Leo replied, rolling his eyes. "Wanna try again?"

Mikey thought about it. He figured he could tell at least part of the truth. "I was waiting for you," he said.

Leo nodded. "Why out here? Why not in the Lair?"

Mikey stared at his brother, trying to figure out a plausible excuse.

"Um… er, Don and Raph kicked me out?"

It was a good lie; Mikey had often gotten shoved out of their home for numerous reasons. He had bothered Don too much, or he would play a prank on Raphie and would flee from the Lair for safety.

Leo nodded again, actually seeming to buy it. "Wouldn't surprise me," he said.

Mikey breathed a sigh of relief.

And then his cell phone went off.

Hearing his personalized ringtone that indicated it was Raphael, Mikey groaned. Leo looked at him, his expression blank.

_He had to call _now_!_ He thought angrily.

Grabbing it off his belt, Mikey answered with a curt "hello?"

"Whenever Leo get's back, go ahead and bring him back," Raph said loudly. Mikey winced. Leo could most definitely hear that. "We're all set here."

"Yeah… okay," Mikey said, looking at Leo, who was watching him only slightly amused. Mikey snapped the phone shut, nervously turning to Leonardo.

"Uh…" Mikey chuckled nervously. "Wanna go back home?" he flashed a nervous smile.

Leo watched him for a few more minutes, making the younger turtle squirm. Then, Leo promptly sat down on the sewer floor.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," he said.

Mikey stared at Leo, his mouth hanging open. He wasn't serious, was he? There was no way!

"Um…" Mikey stuttered. "I… uh…"

Leo raised an eye ridge. "Well?"

"Uh, okay, this is what happened," Mikey said, knowing that Leo would be true to his word. Plus, if he told him, then maybe Leo would agree to go along with it. "We were getting tired of you not hanging with us, so we decided to have a family night and just hang out."

Mikey watched Leo's face as he spoke and noticed that his expression became one of worry and then one of… fear.

"Mikey, I-"

"Leo, will just tell me why you don't wanna hang out with us anymore?"

Leo looked his brother in the eyes. "It's not that I don't want to," he said.

"Then why?"

"It's just…" Leo started, then stopped. Mikey looked at him expectantly, but didn't say anything. "I just need time to get back in the swing of things," he said.

"What's you mean?" Mikey asked, thoroughly confused by this point.

Leo looked up at the orange-banded turtle, a scowl on his face. "You try being in the jungle by yourself for a year and a half, then come back and be thrown into a see of people. It's a little overwhelming and I need to be able to get use to the noise and the attention and the people again."

Mikey stared at him. "I never thought of it that way before…" he said quietly.

Leo nodded.

"Weren't there any people who you could talk to?"

Leo shook his head. "I tried to communicate with someone when I first got there, so that I wouldn't be so lonely, ya' know?"

Mikey nodded, surprised by the fact that his oldest brother would feel lonely.

"But they overreacted and ran off screaming about demons. After that, I kind of just took a back seat ride and watched from the sidelines. Of course, I helped people, but it was always dark, so they didn't see me, and if they did, then I was just a ghost. A big, scary ghost who would save their lives and then disappear until I was needed again."

Mikey stared at Leo, shocked at the coldness his voice had developed. He was unaccustomed to it, and, quite frankly, it scared him. He hadn't heard that tone since they had defeated the Shredder…

Leo seemed to realize what had happened and cleared his throat. "Um… I just need time to get used to being around people again, okay, Mikey?"

He nodded. "Is that why you go on these runs?"

Leo nodded. "After being in the jungle for that long, the lair seems a little stuffy after a while. I just need to clear my head and get fresh air."

Mikey thought about it for a bit, then pulled out his shell cell and started to dial a number. Leo looked at him questioningly.

"Mikey, what're you-"

"Hey, Raph," Mikey said, cutting off Leo and completely ignoring him. "The party's off, dude."

There was silence on the phone for a few seconds, and then an eruption came from the other side, that Leo could hear from where he was sitting.

"What's ya' mean, 'the party's off'?" Raph screamed. "We just spent over three hours setting up for this, when it was your idea in the first place!"

"I know," Mikey said loudly, trying to gain his brother's attention over the swearing he was doing on the other end of the line. "But I've been… thinking, and I think that Leo will eventually come around. We just have to give him time…"

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then Raph's voice came through again, louder than ever.

"What're we supposed to do with all these games and food and stuff?!"

Mikey winced slightly. "Uh… eat the food and pack up the games and stuff?"

There was shuffling on the other side, and then Don's voice floated through the phone. It was quite, a sign that Don was angry and his tone was dangerous.

"Michelangelo…" he said. "I think we need to have a talk… about planning something and then changing your mind…"

Mikey gulped. "Uh…" he looked at Leo, who was staring at him. "I gotta go, I'll see you later!" he hung up, ignoring the angry protest of his immediate older brother. Then he turned to Leo.

"Mikey, we can still have the party," Leo said quietly. "I'll deal with it, you don't have to-"

"No way, dude!" Mikey exclaimed. "I was the one who planned it, I can cancel it at any time!"

Leo shook his head. "No, it's okay. If it really means that much to you-"

"Leo," Mikey interrupted. "_You_ mean that much to me. If you say you need time, then we'll give you as much time as you need without bugging you about it."

Leo looked at Mikey for a long time before a relieved look passed his face and he smiled a little. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Mikey smiled. "You're welcome, bro!" He gave Leo a "thumbs up". "Come on. By the time we get back, they should everything cleaned up and you can be on your merry way!"

Leo's smile broadened a bit. "Okay." He stood up as Mikey approached him and then slung his arm around his little brother's shoulders. "And I'll vouch for you any time, little brother."

Mikey smiled. "Leo, no matter how long it takes you get used to us again, I love you, and I'm glad you're back, big brother"

Leo smiled as well. "Same here, Mikey. Same here…"

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

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Easy on the flames, but they are gladly accepted! :)


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